This walkthrough is consistent with all versions of the game, Xbox, PC, and PlayStation. I tried to keep this guide mostly spoiler-free for you to check it out without being afraid of spoiling the game, but be aware that there might be at least some minor spoilers here and there. The story part of the walkthrough doesn't talk about what's in the cutscenes or who, it only tells you specifically where to go and what to do.
What is Yakuza?
Yakuza (known as Ryu ga Gotoku in Japan) is an open-world, action-adventure, beat 'em up series created by Toshihiro Nagoshi. The series is owned and published by SEGA and has long been a PlayStation exclusive up until some time.
There are nine main story games and several spin-off series. The main games, released up to the day of this walkthrough's publication, are:
- Yakuza 0
- Yakuza Kiwami
- Yakuza Kiwami 2
- Yakuza 3
- Yakuza 4
- Yakuza 5
- Yakuza 6
- Yakuza 7 (Yakuza: Like a Dragon)
- Yakuza 8 (Like a Dragon 8)
Should I play this series?
I'm going to leave the persuasion to Super Eyepatch Wolf on YouTube, who makes a very compelling case to explore the series (to avoid spoilers, please don't watch past 19:20).
If you just want a quick, homemade review by me, I will just say:
- Yakuza 0 has the funniest substories and a lot of memorable moments and memes in it. In the game, we have the youngest version of Kazuma Kiryu (the protagonist), who is still pretty naive and 'innocent'. If you play it as your first game in the series you're probably going to get attached to the franchise more easily.
- I found the story to be great, not only in this chapter of the series but in all the other entries too. Starting this series will only do good since it's getting a lot more popular here in the West too (up until now it was well-known only in Japan and China).
- Combat and mechanics are to the point. Reliable and satisfying.
- You might find the content a bit too extensive - this entry of the Yakuza series probably requires the most hours for completion. Some things require a bit of grinding, a lot of things require RNG and some things can get infuriating (especially Climax Battles, you will pour your blood to beat them, trust me) so go for the completion at your own risk (of going mentally insane because of Climax Battle - Proving Grounds 8).
Where to start?
Theoretically, you can start with any game in the series. Each game has its own unique storyline and villain from start to finish. The games, however, do lean on each other slightly for plot and references - for example, a character that exists in the first game might be dead, incarcerated, and whatnot by the seventh game. So while you can play the series out of order, you might be subjecting yourself to potential spoilers, and you should play the Yakuza series not in the order of release but rather in the order of story to get a better understanding, which means playing the games in this order: Yakuza 0 - Yakuza Kiwami - Yakuza Kiwami 2 - Yakuza 3 Remastered - Yakuza 4 Remastered - Yakuza 5 Remastered - Yakuza 6 - Yakuza 7.
In my opinion, Yakuza 0 is the best place to start because it serves as the origin point for the main protagonist of the Yakuza series. Not only will you follow the story chronologically, which in this series is a pro because the story is written linearly - Yakuza 0 starts in the year 1988, Yakuza Kiwami in 1995/2005, Yakuza Kiwami 2 in 2006, and so on, but you will also begin to get familiar with the many minigames and challenges that this game offers, which are recurrent in the series.
What is Yakuza 0 about?
In the slum district of Kamurocho, Tokyo in 1988, we follow Kazama Kiryu, a low-ranking yakuza in the Dojima Family, currently the largest family in the Tojo Clan. After the completion of a debt collection job, Kiryu discovers that his mark was murdered on a small piece of property that is being sought after by his and other yakuza families. Being framed for murder, Kiryu is determined to clear his name and not bring shame and attention to the Tojo Clan.
The other half of the story takes place in the pleasure district of Sotenbori, Osaka where Goro Majima, an ex-yakuza with a checkered past, is currently the manager of the most popular cabaret club in the district. To receive penance and return to his yakuza family, he is asked to carry out a hit.
Somehow or another, Kiryu and Majima will find that their fates are intertwined.
What do I need to know before starting with the game?
A couple of things. First, this game does have missable achievements, they are found in the story. It's best that you take care of them during your first playthrough, but whether you do it in your first or second one doesn't matter. Yes, as I just said, you have to play the game twice, but your second time around will be pretty much a speed run (you can just skip all dialogues and cutscenes and rush to the point) in the Legendary difficulty for the achievement.
The difficulty level in this series is well balanced (except maybe in Yakuza 3, but other than that the other games are pretty fair) so don't be afraid of playing in Hard difficulty, it's better since you'll progressively get better with combat too. After you complete the story for the first time you'll unlock Legendary difficulty. The only difference is that enemies are a bit more enraged and will throw out punches more frequently - that's it. Although I always suggest 100% the game first and then go for a replay for the last achievement of the second playthrough only at the end.
Fighting in this game isn't that difficult, combos are pretty easy to remember (,
,
and so on, nothing really that hard) and most of the new ones you learn will be explained to you as you play.
This seems easy, what is difficult about this game?
The difficulty, generally speaking, revolves around the minigames, which require a lot of RNG, patience, and time - especially with playing Mahjong (as always) and the Climax Battles (don't underestimate them). I suggest taking a slow approach because it can be frustrating, you might complete a gambling minigame in one hand, or it can go really bad for you and require two hours to get it done. I found it effective to completely CLOSE the game and restart it. This kind of did an RNG reset for me, as I found simply loading the save not effective at all. As I already said, this Yakuza is one of the longest ones, its story has 17 chapters and it takes double the time and a bit more effort to complete, compared to other Yakuza games.
2. General hints and tipsYakuza 0 Walkthrough IndexFind anything you think is wrong with this walkthrough? Help us fix it by posting in its Walkthrough Thread.This walkthrough is the property of TrueAchievements.com. This walkthrough and any content included may not be reproduced without written permission. TrueAchievements.com and its users have no affiliation with any of this game's creators or copyright holders and any trademarks used herein belong to their respective owners.
